


Good to You (aka the Nanny AU)

by artem_ace



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Chaptered, Fluff, M/M, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 07:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3642366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artem_ace/pseuds/artem_ace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason Grace is looking for a Nanny. Nico di Angelo is a Nanny looking for a job. Neither are looking for love, but they somehow manage to find a family in each other. </p><p>(just a warning, chapters 4 and 5 both have alcohol mentions (5 more than 4) so just keep that in mind and don’t read if it’s going to trigger you:3) (Title taken from the song by Marianas Trench)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

"Piper, oh god, thank you so much for coming on such short notice!" Jason exhales quickly, opening the door to his apartment. His glasses are askew, and his hair a right mess. He has some toothpaste on his bright orange tie.

After letting Piper into the apartment, Jason immediately rushes from the door, presumably toward his bedroom. He turns back to thank Piper again, when a loud crash comes from the bathroom, followed by a loud wailing sound. Jason’s face pales and he mutters something probably not appropriate for little ears, under his breath.

He runs to the bathroom, followed closely by Piper. Upon entering the room, he’s met with the sight of his 4 year old son, Walt, entangled in the beige shower curtain, whimpering in the bathtub. He hurries over to the boy and scoops him up in his arms, awkwardly attempting to rock the boy who was just a bit too large to be rocked.

"Shhhhh…" Jason murmurs into his hair, making his way to his bedroom, as fast as he could with a crying child in his arms. Once in the bedroom, he looks around wildly,  _hopefully a comb_ , Piper thinks. She reaches for Walt, who Jason gratefully dumps into her arms. He does go for the comb, thankfully, and runs it through his hair quickly.

Walt is no longer crying; rather, he’s resting his head on Piper, who has made herself at home on Jason’s bed. He’s staring at his father, who is currently crouched on the floor, tying his left shoe. Jason stands and straightens, patting his pockets to verify that he has his wallet, phone, and keys, all necessities before leaving for work.

He finds everything he needs and makes a noise of relief, before checking his watch and realizing that he needed to leave now, if he wanted to make it to the hotel on time. Piper is about to call him back to change his tie, when she hears him running down the hallway again, and his head appears in the door. He’s holding his stained tie in one hand, and is about to speak, when Piper hands him a new ( _not awfully bright orange_ ) one with the hand that isn’t holding Walt.

Jason looks at her thankfully and smiles . “You’re a life-saver.” He tells her. “I know.” Piper states simply. She follows him on his way to the front door, cradling the young boy on her hip as she walks. They reach the door, and Jason turns to her.

"I’m so sorry for dumping him on you again." He apologizes. "Cherry called me this morning,  _demanding_ that I come in, and it’s not like I can tell her ‘no’, the hotel is completely understaffed, and somehow all the responsibility of every  _single_  thing falls to me, the obedient assistant manager who  _obviously_  has no life, or a kid to take care of.” Jason’s fist is clenching on the handle of the door. Piper hasn’t seen him this stressed since Alex left him.

Piper was beginning to feel the weight of the 4-year-old taking it’s toll and switched the boy to her other side. “Jase, you know I don’t mind watching Walt.” Said boy is playing with the hem of his Captain America T-shirt.

“ _But_  this is the 3rd time this month that this has happened.” She continues. “I can’t drop everything to come watch him when you can’t, Jason. I have my own job, my own life, and it’s not fair to me  _or_  Walt for you to keep running out on him like this.” Jason gives her a pained look and his hand slides off the door handle.

"Pipes, I know, it’s just- I can’t quit my job!" He looks his hands, as if they somehow held the answer to his troubles. "And if I don’t show up, I could get fired, and then where would I be?" Jason puts his head in his hands and rubs his palms down his face.

"Hey." Piper nudges him with her foot to get his attention. "It’s okay." She flashes him a reassuring grin.  "Still though, you need a more reliable source of supervision." Jason nods.

"You know," Piper starts. "Hazel’s brother is looking for a job right now."

Jason gives her a confused look. “Okay?”  _How does this affect me?_ he thought. Piper deadpans. “He’s a nanny.” She elaborates.

"Like some dude who’s going to live in my house and teach Walt songs about manners?"

Piper sighs. “ _No_. Like some dude who’s going to watch your son when  _you_  can’t. Like… an exclusive permanent babysitter. And he wouldn’t live with you, unless it was somehow necessary, like you had to work in the middle of the night or something.”

Jason’s phone goes off and he struggles to get it out of his pocket. He opens the old phone and glares at the name flashing on the screen. “It’s Cherry, I really have to go, can you just write down his number or something?” Jason asks. He doesn’t wait for an answer, pecking Piper on the cheek and rushing out, closing the door behind him.

Walt looks from the empty space that used to be his dad to Piper. She sighs. “Looks like it’s just you and me, buddy.” She sets the boy down and he gives her a wide grin. “Pancakes?” She asks, leading him into the kitchen. “Yes, please.” He says, sitting himself down at the table. Piper hums as she stirs the batter, then beat-boxes as she flips the pancakes. Walt joins her in a lovely duet about maple syrup as she cuts his pancakes into bite-sized pieces.

Once Walt is eating, Piper rummages through the stationary drawer for a pen, and grabs a yellow sticky note from the stack of them on the counter.

Nico di Angelo

xxx-xxx-xxxx

PLEASE CALL HIM JASON

love you, Piper <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nico looks nothing like he sounds on the phone

. This is the first thing Jason thinks when he invites Nico di Angelo into his apartment. It’s a weird thought, really, considering it’s nearly impossible to tell what someone will look like from the sound of their voice.

Still, Nico’s here in dark, tight jeans and a black shirt, somehow looking intimidating, despite being at least half a foot shorter than Jason.  _How the hell does he work with children?_ Jason wonders, eyeing the many bracelets gracing the younger man’s wrists, and his messy black hair.

"Um, welcome." Jason attempts to invite Nico in with an extension of hospitality, but fails to exude the  charm and charisma that is probably expected of a prospective employer. He leads Nico to the kitchen table, set up for an interview. At least, as set up as it could be, with a single sheet of notebook paper laying next to one of Walt’s toy cars. "Nico, right?" Jason asks. Nico nods and Jason feels a little stupid, because  _obviously_  the young man is Nico, or he wouldn’t be here. “Jason Grace.” He introduces himself, offering his hand. Nico takes it and resists the urge to make a sarcastic remark because,  _of course_ he’s Jason Grace, or he wouldn’t be here.

The “interview” begins, with Jason asking him questions about his experience working with children, and how available he would be on a daily basis. As the interview continues Jason is shocked by the differences between Nico and his sister, Jason’s friend, Hazel.

Hazel is  _warm_ , where Nico is  _cold_ , bright and happy, where Nico is dark and somewhat gloomy. He smiles, but the gesture doesn’t really seem to fit the rest of him, dark clothes and pale skin. Despite Nico’s appearance, he seems incredibly nice, and answers all of the questions with ease.

He’s definitely qualified to care for a child, but Jason still isn’t sure if he should trust him with  _his_  child. Honestly, he should have prepared more, because Jason is all out of questions and he still doesn’t have a good read on the younger man.

He’s about to give up when Walt runs into the kitchen, his bare feet padding across the tile. The young boy goes straight for the cookie jar, failing to notice neither his father or the young man sitting opposite him at the table.

"Excuse me, Cap, but  _what do you think you’re doing_?” Jason asks in a mock-strict voice. Walt looks up in surprise and almost knocks the jar over. “You know we can’t have cookies right before dinner.” He reprimands him. Walt sheepishly reconnects the lid to the jar and hops over to where Jason is sitting.

"But Daddy, I’m  _hunnnngryyyy_.” Walt pleads. He begs Jason with his wide brown eyes, clutching the blond man’s arm with his small hands. Jason chuckles. “Well I’m actually about to start cooking, Cap, so how about you go play and I’ll call you when it’s ready?”

Walt crosses his arms in defiance. “You told me you would play with me.” He pouts.

Jason groans internally. Earlier, he told Walt that he’d play with him before dinner, but between the interview with Nico, and Jason’s own scattered brain, he forgot. If he didn’t get dinner started now, they’d be off schedule, not to mention Walt’s insistence that he was  _starving_.

Nico clears his throat and Walt suddenly looks at the dark-haired man, noticing for the first time. “I-uh, can play with him, while you cook. I mean- er, if you want…me…to?” The man rubs the back of his neck and leaves the offer out, waiting for either acceptance or rejection. Walt shifts his focus from Nico to Jason, and now they’re both staring, and Jason realizes he needs to answer.

"Uh, yeah!" He exclaims, slightly flustered from the attention. "Sure!" He stands up and awkwardly pats his son’s shoulder, not entirely sure what to do with his hands. "This is Walt." He introduces the boy, who shyly peers at the stranger from his father’s side.

"And this," he gestures to Nico. "Is Mr. di Angelo." Nico smiles brightly at the boy, and maneuvers around the table to properly introduce himself.

"You can call me Nico, if you want." He states simply, sitting cross legged on the floor in front of the pair. "Or Neeks, if it’s easier." He allows. He sticks out his hand for Walt to shake.

Walt accepts the hand and giggles, laughing at the funniness of doing something only grown-ups did, like shaking hands. “Daddy calls me Cap.” He announces. Nico notices the shield gracing Walt’s bright blue shirt.

"Like Captain America?" He asks. The boy nods proudly, puffing up his chest to show the shield off. "He’s my favorite Avenger." Nico says.

Walt’s eyes widen. “Really?! He’s mine and daddy’s too!!” Nico smiles at the young child’s enthusiasm. “Guess we have something in common then.” Nico says, glancing at Jason and revealing one of the bracelets on his right wrist: a blue band with the acronym S. H. E. I. L. D. printed across it in white. He takes off the bracelet, and instead slides it on to Walt’s wrist.

"You can have it, if you want." Nico offers. Walt’s mouth is wide open as he stares at the gift. Jason is finally knocked out of the stupor he’s been in, watching the exchange. "What do we say?" He prompts.

"Thank you!!" Walt exclaims, jumping into Nico’s lap and wrapping his thin arms around the mans neck. Nico looks taken aback, but returns the hug with a soft grin. Walt hops out of Nico’s lap and bounces energetically. "Can we play Steve and Bucky??" He pleads.

Jason looks at Nico who’s currently rising from his position on the kitchen floor. “Ask him.” He says. Walt grabs Nico’s hand. “Will you be Bucky??” He begs throwing in a chorus of  _please_ 's.

Nico laughs. “Yeah, I’ll be Bucky.” He agrees. Walt runs off to find his action figure and Jason uses this time to start the spaghetti.

The next half hour is filled with the aroma of good food and the laughter of three people, all having a good time. Watching Nico interact with Walt stirs something in Jason’s heart. Hearing Walt’s laugh is probably his favorite thing, and he doesn’t get to hear as often as he wants to. Nico is amazing with the boy, and does a  _very_  convincing Bucky impression. And the green goblin. And the joker.  _And pretty much anyone that Walt felt the desire to pummel_.

Jason watches as his son brings Doctor Doom to his knees for the third time that night, Nico having his plastic figure fall over and roll around after being punched by the Silver Surfer. Nico himself falls to the floor as well, moaning, and carrying on as if he was dying before becoming still, closing his eyes. Walt giggles and pokes at the man, demanding that he “get up,  _right this instance_!”

Nico continues to play dead and it isn’t until Walt storms off in search of  an “antidote” that Nico opens his eyes. He catches Jason staring at him and winks. Nico gives him a lopsided smile and makes a shushing gesture with his index finger, upon hearing Walt make his way back to the kitchen.

Walt leans over Nico’s body, to “fix” the young man and Nico plays along. Jason admires Nico’s messy hair as it falls across his forehead, and how the tip of Nico’s tongue pokes out of his “dead” mouth, and decides that, yeah, maybe he could use a nanny.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason, Nico, and Walt are decorating for the holidays and Piper and Leo are convinced that the two men are secretly dating.

Neither of them are sure when exactly the change occurs, but it does. Somewhere along the path of their relationship the distinction between employer and employee blurs until it becomes something else entirely. Jason isn’t sure what exactly that something is, but he’s not sure he wants to just yet.

Somehow in the year and a half that Nico has worked for Jason, they’ve turned into one entity. Jason and Nico. Nico and Jason. Whatever it was, no one dared to invite one without the other, and sooner than anyone could ever expect, Jason’s family of two becomes three.

He’s there on Walt’s first day of school. He’s there for the nerves and the excitement, and the moment when Jason realizes that Walt isn’t going to be here forever. He’s there when Walt comes home from school with tales of his adventurous day in kindergarten, and he’s there to witness Jason’s eyes light up when Walt promises to never run away with Ginny (who, apparently, is the girl assigned to the seat next to him) until he’s at least ten.

He’s there when Jason and Walt introduce him to movie night, held every Friday. He hasn’t missed one yet.

He’s there when Jason breaks down, when the pressure of being a single father is too much to bear. He’s there  when Jason asks him to be, and he’s there when Jason needs him to be.

He’s there when Walt becomes ill and Jason simply had no idea what to do. He’s there at the hospital as they wait to hear the diagnosis, and Jason is squeezing the life out of his hand. It’s only a virus, completely harmless if treated properly, but Nico remembers the helplessness scrawled across the blond’s face as they sat in uncomfortable plastic chairs at one o’clock in the morning.

He’s there as they set up for the holidays, the small apartment filled with festive reds and greens and an obviously way too large Christmas tree stood in the corner.

It’s December 4th, a week after Thanksgiving, and Nico is sitting on the floor next to the tree unpacking ornaments for Walt to place on the trees many branches. They have a system worked out: Jason passes the various boxes containing decorations to Nico, who removes the packaging and hands them to Walt, who finds them a suitable home on the massive tree.

The phone rings.

"I’ll get it." Nico offers. He moves to get up, but Jason stops him. "No it’s fine, I’m going into the kitchen anyway,” he says. “Anybody up for hot chocolate?”

"Wait!" Walt calls. "What about the tree?"

Jason chuckles. From the halfway mark down, the tree is bursting ornaments, it’s branches sagging down from their weight. He bends down and gently taps his son on the nose. “I think the tree is ready for something different, yeah?”

"We can make a garland of popcorn," Nico suggests. Jason nods and rushes to grab the phone. Nico follows him to the kitchen and rummages through the pantry, in search of the popcorn.

"Jason?"

It’s Piper. “Hey!” Jason answers. Nico has found the popcorn and is placing it in the microwave. “What’s up?”

"Just settling in to the new place," Piper says. 60 miles away, she sits on her countertop, doing her best to ignore the boxes on the floor, begging to be unpacked. She moved almost a week ago, but the need to spruce up her new apartment with frivolous items such as pictures, her DVD collection, kitchen appliances, a table that isn’t of the coffee variety, hasn’t really hit her yet…

"Anyway, I was just making sure we were still on for Christmas," Piper states. She hops off the counter to run her finger over the calendar (one of the few things she managed to unpack) attached to the refrigerator.

Jason moves to allow Nico access to the pantry, so he can replace the popcorn box. “Yeah, of course!” He exclaims with a smile. “You’ll be here around four, yeah?”

Piper scrapes the edge of the calendar with the nail of her thumb. “Yeah, maybe four thirty, if traffic is bad. And let’s face it, on Christmas Eve it will most definitely be shitty.” Jason nods before realizing that Piper can’t see him.

“Yeah‒” he starts before the microwave cuts him off with a series of loud beeps. Nico opens the door of the appliance and takes the bag out.

"What was that?" Piper asks.

"Oh, that was the microwave. Walt and Nico are gonna make a popcorn garland." Nico’s shoulder barely brushes against Jason’s bicep as he glides past him into the living room. The blond is distracted as he watches Nico’s hips sway as walks.

On the other side of the line he here’s something that sounds suspiciously like Leo Valdez shouting in the background. “Is Leo there?” He asks.

"Yeah, he’s helping me unpack. Well, sort of, right now he’s actually‒ eating Doritos? Hold on.” Jason hears a loud laugh on the phone followed by a muffled shout for help. Jason assumes that Piper is probably sitting on the Leo by the noises of protest coming from the other end.

He’s proven right when he hears a “Get off, Beauty Queen!” followed by some rustling in the background.

“How’s that going by the way?” It’s Leo on the phone now. “How’s what going?” Jason asks, confused.

"Oh, you know." It’s Pipers voice now, and Jason realizes he’s on speaker phone.  "The whole cute-nanny-who-spends-all-of-his-time-at-your-house-even-when-he-isn’t-on-duty thing."

Jason sighs.

He takes a step into the living room and lean on his shoulder against the wall. “Nico’s fine,” He states, watching the scene in front of him.

Nico is attempting (and failing) to teach Walt how to string popcorn. His eyebrows are knitted together with the utmost concentration, and he might have looked formidable if not for the slight tip of his tongue poking out between his pale lips, or the single kernel of popcorn embedded in his dark hair. Jason suppresses a smile as yet another fragile kernel breaks under Nico’s fingers.

Walt on the other hand is paying about zero attention to Nico’s lesson, finding the taste of fresh popcorn a lot more interesting.

"Sooooo…" Piper trails off in a way that lets Jason know that she wants to ask him something.

"Soooo…" He answers.

"Are you guys sexing it up or‒?" Leo blurts.

“What?!” Jason sputters. “No!” Nico and Walt are giving him confused glances and he excuses himself.

He ushers himself into the broom closet and closes the door behind him. “Our relationship is completely professional, thank you very much,” He hisses into the receiver.

Piper laughs on the other end of the line. “Yeah, sure,” She agrees sarcastically. Jason rolls his eyes at the cleaning supplies. “I’m serious. Nico and I are just… friends?” He says it as a question. If Jason is being completely honest with himself, he has no idea exactly what he and Nico are. but he knows damn well that there’s something more than a simple “just business”.

Leo doesn’t want to drop the subject, but Piper shushes him and changes the subject. “Nico’s coming to the dinner right? On Christmas Eve?”

Jason takes the question gratefully. “Probably. I mean I haven’t, like, asked him or anything but…” He trails off with a shrug. Nico doesn’t have anywhere else to be, right?

"You mean you haven’t even invited him?" Piper asks, incredulous. "God, Jason, you’re so dense. You need to go ask him, as soon as we stop talking."

"Okay, okay! I will." Jason relents. "Anyway, I have to get back and help them decorate the tree."

"Them?" Jason hears Leo’s muffled shouting again. There’s a lot of shouting and static and general sounds of struggle as Leo wrestles the phone from Piper. Leo has evidently won the phone, as he’s the one who speaks next.

"Is the hot nanny there?" Leo asks excitedly.

"Give me the damn phone, you little- " Piper shouts attempting to get the phone back. Jason winces as the shouting continues and holds the phone away from his ear. Through the chaos that’s taking place in Piper’s apartment, he only manages to catch a few phrases most notable "HE’S TOTALLY SCREWING THE NANNY I SWEAR"  and "LEO I’M GOING TO SHOVE THIS THING DOWN YOUR THROAT IF YOU DON’T GIVE ME THE PHONE BACK", before the line goes dead.

He takes a few moments to breathe inside the confined space.

After his few moments are up, Jason reluctantly chooses to leave the safety of the closet. He straightens, adjusts his shirt and opens the door, prepared to join Walt and the nanny-who-must-not-be-named in the living room.

"Having fun in there?"

Jason jumps. He wasn’t prepared to find a certain dark haired man sipping the hot chocolate Jason had been planning to make in his kitchen, wearing a Santa hat that he’d found in one of the boxes. Nico doesn’t ask about the broom closet; instead he offers Jason a mug with a slight smirk.

"Uh, thanks." Jason takes the mug in both hands, inhaling the sweet scent. He takes a sip before addressing Nico.

"So, I meant to ask you, are you doing anything on Christmas Eve? Piper is coming over for dinner, and you know she totally adores you, and Walt would love it if you came‒ and I would too! But I mean, if you have…. plans or something that’s fine." Jason pauses to catch his breath and looks at Nico sheepishly.

A light blush taints the younger man’s cheeks. “Yeah, actually, that’d be great. I kind of assumed I would be over here anyway.”

Jason smiles. “Great! It’s settled then.” Nico returns the smile and they clack their mugs together. “I think we should go help with the decorations,” Nico suggests.

"Yeah, who knows what Walt’s doing in there," Jason jokes. As they walk to the living room, Jason’s arm is out slightly, his fingers ghosting over the back of Nico’s sweater. They enter the room to find Walt sleeping peacefully, cuddled up with a stuffed Rudolf.

“Guess the rest of the decorations will have to wait until tomorrow.” Jason says, tip-toeing over to the small boy. He carries Walt to bed and tucks him in, before joining Nico to admire the tree. It isn’t a very traditional tree, only half of it actually decorated, and poorly made popcorn garlands lazily thrown on, but neither of them would have it any other way.

“It is getting pretty late, I should probably be getting back…” Nico shrugs.

“You can stay if you want. Have the couch?” Jason offers.

Nico hesitates before nodding. It definitely isn’t the first time he’s stayed over, but he still isn’t comfortable inviting himself over. There’s a blanket already on the couch, and Nico crawls under it, not bothering with pajamas. Jason smiles at him and turns the lamp off, leaving the soft lights decorating the tree as the only illuminating source.

“G’night,” Jason calls softly, heading to his own bedroom.

“Night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayeeeeeee i don;t have much to say except to review:3


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mini chapter bc reasons

Jason’s thinking about Nico while he’s eating lunch. He’s having lasagna, not very Nico-like but it’s Italian, and somehow Jason’s brain has a way of connecting everything back to Nico.

It had been over a year since Nico started working for him, but it somehow felt like it was both just yesterday and a lifetime ago. He doesn’t know much about the younger man, yet imagining his life without him is nearly impossible. Walt is convinced that Nico will always be around and Jason silently prays that he’s right.

Jason’s off from work today, so he had the opportunity to accompany Nico and Walt on the way to school. Watching the pair interact did something to Jason, like butterflies in his stomach had risen up to his chest and were threatening to spill out of his mouth. But, like, not in a gross way.

He’s pulled out of his thoughts by the opening and closing of the front door.

"Honey, I’m home!" Nico jokes from the front hallway. He sets down the large bags he had been carrying to take off his coat.

"Need help?" Jason offers. He doesn’t wait for a reply and grabs the bags to set them on the counter. There’s only two, but they’re both large enough to carry a small child. On the outside of one, a picture of a cartoon giraffe is inviting Jason to come and shop with him.

"I got the gifts for Walt that you were asking for," Nico states, as if it wasn’t obvious from the heaping bags of toys. "I also got him something from me," Nico smiles proudly.

"Oh, you didn’t have to get him anything–" Jason starts before Nico cuts him off with an _are-you-kidding-me_  look. “You  _really_  think that I’m not giving him anything?” He asks.

Jason shrugs sheepishly. Nico’s pretty keen on gift giving, evident by his insistence on getting him and Walt’s gifts for every single holiday that occurred. Last Halloween he’d bought them all matching ghost socks to wear.

"Okay, so what did you get then?"

Nico grins and grabs the bag on the left. “A football,” he announces, rummaging through the bag.

A confused look crosses Jason’s face. Why would Nico get Walt a football? There weren’t any football teams in the area, not that Jason would let Walt play such a dangerous sport if there were. Besides, he’d probably end up breaking something if he threw it in the house.

"Are you sure Walt would be able to play football? I’m not sure that’s the best choice…" Jason trails off as Nico finally finds what he’s looking for. Said man makes a triumphant noise as he pulls the ball out of the bag.

Except it’s not a football. It’s round. And white. And black.

"What do you mean, Walt would be great at football," Nico expresses, hugging the ball to his chest.

Jason stares at Nico like he’s grown another head. “You mean soccer?”

Now it’s Nico’s turn to be confused. His confusion doesn’t last long, however, as he remembers what Americans call football. His realization isn’t acceptance, though, and he prepares for the challenge of defending the name of his favorite childhood sport.

“ _No_ , I mean **_football_**.” He places the ball on the island counter gently, but not softly, resulting in a muffled thunk that enforces his point. “Not that American abomination that you call a sport.”

Jason’s brow wrinkles as a playful smirk lands itself on Nico’s lips. Two can play at this game.

“ _Excuse me_ , but  ** _soccer_** ,” Jason takes the ball from Nico to bring it closer to himself. “Isn’t  _nearly_  as popular as football.”

Nico snorts. “Maybe not here, it isn’t, but in every other place in the world,  ** _football_**  is way more important.” He reaches across the counter and takes the ball back from Jason to place it in between them.

 _"It’s a soccer ball_ ** _,_** " Jason says, putting both of his palms on the ball, and tugging it towards himself.

“ ** _Football_** ,” Nico shoots back, not allowing Jason to take the ball from him, resulting in both of their bodies slightly bent over the counter, faces inching closer together.

 _“ **Soccer ball**_ **,** ” Jason grits his teeth and strengthens his grip on the ball, his head moving even closer to Nico’s. They’re only seven inches apart now.

"How the hell do you even play with that egg you call a ‘football’?" Nico asks incredulously. Four inches.

"How the hell do you come to America and insult America’s favorite past time?" Jason asks, mocking Nico’s tone. Their noses are touching.

"Pretty sure that’s baseball," Nico corrects. He glances at Jason lips and feels his mouth go dry.

Jason shrugs as much as he can in such an awkward position. “That too.” He rests his forehead on Nico’s and stares into the younger man’s eyes. Nico gulps and tries to swallow. There lips are almost touching and he swears he can feel Jason’s breath on his own.  _If he just leaned in a **bit** more…_

He backs away to clear his throat. “I– er– I’m gonna go put these up. You know, so Walt doesn’t find them. Yeah.”

Jason’s suddenly aware of how close the two had been and awkwardly settles into a more comfortable position. “Yeah, uh, that’s cool. There are some in the– the closet already– presents, I mean, so if you want to… Yeah.” Jason cringes at his lack of ability to speak like a normal human being. Nico just nods and walks toward the back of the apartment, to the closet. His face is a little flushed, although not  _nearly_ as red as Jason’s.

Jason breathes out and looks over at his lasagna with disgust. Jason sighs and dumps the leftovers into the disposal. He ambles over to the couch to watch some football– soccer, he corrects himself, in the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Piper comes over for Christmas Eve

*knock knock*

"I’ll get it," Jason says, pressing ‘start’ on the oven and shuffling around Nico towards the door.

 

"It’s probably Piper," says Nico, dropping another ball of dough onto the cookie sheet. Walt sits on top of the counter and uses a spoon to sneak a bit of cookie dough from the bowl.

Jason opens the door to reveal a flushed Piper carrying a multitude of boxes stacked on top of each other.

"Hey, stranger!" She greets him, as she steps into the cozy apartment.

"Piper!" Walt exclaims, hopping down from the counter (with Nico’s help) to welcome her. He runs into her legs, almost knocking her over, and hugs her knees, admiring the beautifully wrapped boxes."Are those presents? Do you have one for me?"

Piper chuckles and hands the gifts to Jason, who in turn attempts to give her a hug through the boxes in his arms.

"No presents for you until tomorrow, Cap," he reminds the young boy.

Walt pouts but soon remembers the chocolate chips waiting for him on the counter, and rushes back over to help Nico.

Nico greets Piper with a festive ‘Merry Christmas Eve!’ and Piper returns it with a strong embrace.

"So what’s on the menu tonight?" She inquires.

"You’d have to ask Blondie." Nico says. "I’m in charge of the baking."

"And I’m his assistant!" Walt chirps from the counter, his tiny hands slick with saliva from all the cookie dough he’d been eating.

"More like my personal garbage disposal," Nico jokes. "Now stop eating the cookie dough, you’re going to get sick."

Walt sticks his tongue out and goes to take another spoonful of dough from the bowl.

Piper gasps. “Aren’t these cookies for Santa? If you eat the cookie dough meant for his cookies, he probably won’t want to give you too many presents this year.”

Walt’s eyes widen, and he suddenly looks very serious. “I won’t eat anymore. I promise!”

Jason returns to the kitchen and pecks Piper on the cheek. “Glad you could make it! Traffic, alright?”

Piper rolls her eyes. “Traffic was sh-”

All three adults glance at Walt-

"Terrible." Piper covers up wincing. Walt doesn’t seem to notice her almost slip-up and Piper relaxes.

For the first time she realizes what an absolute mess Jason is. He’s got random streaks on his face and flour running through his hair. As well, is that a chocolate stain on his Kiss the Cook apron? Walt isn’t in any better condition, but Piper had assumed the messiness was to be expected from a 6 year old.

Together, the pair looked like they had failed at defusing a bomb made of cookie ingredients.

"What happened to you?" She asked, inspecting the smears of chocolate chips on Jason’s apron.

He glared at Nico as if that was an explanation. Piper followed his gaze.

Suspiciously clean, Nico is leaning with his back against the far counter, his black t-shirt and jeans completely untouched by flour, despite his lack of an apron. He shrugs.

"He was in our territory."

Perched on the countertop next to him, Walt crosses his arms and nods. “Daddy was in our territory.”

"What does that even mean?" Piper asks, laughing at Jason’s disgruntled expression.

"It means that I needed to wash my hands so I set down a bowl on the side of the counter they decided was theirs and then they attacked me!" Jason explained, glaring at Nico with more intensity.

Nico nods in confirmation. Walt leans forward to add another streak of cookie dough to Jason’s left cheek.

"Thanks, Cap," Jason mutters beneath the child’s hand as he continues rubbing it across his fathers face.

With a small grin, Nico presses a thumb to the corner of Jason’s mouth to add his own mark. He traces the outline of Jason’s lower lip and his gaze flickers from his mouth to his sky blue eyes.

Piper coughs, reminding them of her presence and Nico removes his hand, both of them are slightly red.

"Okay then," Piper says."Let’s go get you cleaned up."

She directs that last statement at Walt.The six year old grumbles but follows her to the bathroom.

Jason and Nico finish up the meal with little difficulty and Piper helps them clear up the disaster. Walt begs to use her phone to play what he calls “the running game”, and Piper gives it to him to keep him occupied while they clean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner is unremarkable and the food is pretty good, considering the events that took place in the kitchen. After dinner the four of them bring the party to the living room to watch a movie.

"I vote for The Little Mermaid," Piper announces, plopping down on the couch with a large bowl of popcorn.

"The Little Mermaid isn’t a Christmas movie!" Jason argues. He looks to Nico for back up, but the dark haired man just settles into the plushy armchair facing toward the TV.

"It’s better than most Christmas movies, though."

Piper points at him as if he’s just proved her point. Jason looks desperately at Walt as a last resort, but the boy just shakes his head takes a seat next to Piper.

Jason sighs, defeated, and hands Piper the remote.

By the time “Kiss the Girl” comes on, Walt can barely keep his eyes open and Jason carries him to bed. Nico makes more popcorn while Jason tucks Walt in. Piper continues to watch the movie.

When both men return, Piper suggests a friendly game of monopoly.

~~~~~~~~~~

Three hours later, Piper’s gone bankrupt (and isn’t very happy about it), Nico’s in the lead by such a large margin Jason gives up, and they’re all a little bit tipsy.

"Oh god," Nico murmurs, rubbing his eyes. Jason yawns and the rest follow.

Piper speaks up from her position lying on the floor. “We should go to sleep,” she says to the ceiling.

Nico makes a noise of agreement and Jason rises from the floor. “We need to play Santa first,” he reminds them.

Piper and Nico help Jason bring previously wrapped presents from his closet to the space beneath the tree. By the time they’re finished it’s 12:38 and all three are tired enough to collapse on the spot.

“I should probably go,” Nico says. Both Jason and Piper give him incredulous looks.

“There is no way you’re walking home walking home this late,” Jason declares. Nico scoffs. “I have before.”

Jason hands a blanket to Piper. “Not when you’re drunk.”

Nico is about to argue when Piper cuts him off.

“Enough. You are spending the night here.” She wraps the blanket around herself like a cape. “It’s like a slumber party for grown-ups.”

Nico gives up. He obviously wasn’t getting anywhere with these two. “Well then, I guess we’d better figure out sleeping arrangements.

Jason’s apartment wasn’t very large. Two bedrooms just large enough for one bed each. Usually Nico would take the couch, but with Piper staying over, there wasn’t enough space to fit four people. Unless somebody slept on the floor.

Piper yawns. “Well, I don’t know about you two, but I call the couch. Night dorks.” She snuggles into the couch with a noticeable smirk gracing her face. Nico and Jason exchange a look. With Piper on the couch, only one bed remained. Would they have to fight for it? Rock-Paper-Scissors? Nico is formulating a plan to jump Jason right then and there and race to the bedroom when Jason breaks the silence.

“We can share if you want?”

That seems like a more reasonable solution. Nico nods and wordlessly follows Jason to his bedroom. Jason’s already in sweatpants so he climbs into bed. Jason’s room is one of the places in the apartment that Nico visits less often, but he’s been in here enough to find his way around.

Jason’s dresser is on the right side and the bottom drawer is reserved for Nico’s spare clothes when he stays over (which is more often than not, even if neither of them will admit it).

Jason watches Nico bend down to get his pajamas and totally does not stare at his ass. At all.

He’s knocked out of his stupor when Nico speaks from the floor. “I only take cash by the way.”

Jason’s breath hitches in his throat. “What? I didn’t- Shit, I-” While he talks, Jason’s face turns a deeper shade of red until he’s approximately the shade of a ripe tomato.

“I’m kidding,” Nico interrupts, now facing the blond man. “It was a joke,”

Jason’s heart rate slows down and is now just going slightly faster than normal, rather than the rapid pace it had been previously. They stare at each other for an awkwardly long amount of time.

“I think I should go change.”

“Yeah.”

Nico carries his sleepwear into the bathroom to change and Jason turns to face the wall. Maybe he can pretend to be asleep by the time Nico gets back. He hears the door and squeezes his eyes shut and slows his breathing to feign sleep. The bed creaks slightly when Nico gets in and Jason feels cold feet brush against his own.

“Jason?” Nico whispers.

“Yeah?” So much for feigning sleep.

“Thanks.”

In the dark, Nico’s voice eerily floats, unattached to his body.

“… for everything.”

Nico leans over to peck Jason on the cheek.

“Merry Christmas, Jason.”

“Merry Christmas, Nico. Goodnight.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason notices two things when he wakes up.

First, somehow during the night he and Nico had gravitated towards each other. Nico was pressed into his chest in a spooning position and Jason’s arms were locked tightly around him. Apparently, Nico notices this as well because he immediately breaks away from Jason’s grasp.

The second and more alarming thing was the two children at the end of the bed screaming at him to wake up. Walt is jumping on the bed in between his and Nico’s legs and letting out an unearthly howl. Piper stood behind him grinning from ear to ear, her hair done up in a haphazard bun.

“What the _hell,_  Pipes?” Jason grumbles, reaching for his glasses on the nightstand.

“It’s Christmas!” She replies. Walt has managed to wedge himself between the two men and is struggling to get Jason into a sitting position, almost knocking Nico off the bed in the process.

“Get up, Daddy!” A quiet oomph escapes Nico when Walt sits on the precise location of his diaphragm.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” Jason chuckles. “Also I’d appreciate if you stopped killing Nico.”

Walt scrambles off the bed (and consequently off Nico) and bounces to the living room. Jason nudges Nico’s shoulder. “C’mon we gotta go be festive.”

Instead of replying, Nico rolls out of bed, quite literally, gets up with a sigh, and leaves the room. Piper looks at Jason, then at Nico, then at Jason again. Jason attempts to silently communicate that _nothing happened_.  But Piper just mouths “we’ll talk later” and leaves Jason alone in his bedroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It only takes Walt about 20 minutes to open all his gifts.

“So what was your favorite present?” Piper asks, several gift wrapping bows stuck to various parts of her body.

Walt lifts up the soccer ball with both hands and a wide smile.

“The football,” he states proudly. Nico smirks triumphantly beside him. Piper holds back a laugh.

Jason puts a hand to his heart. “I am personally offended that 1. You think Nico’s gift is better than something Santa, Piper, or I, your own _father_ , got you and 2. you used the term football to describe what is clearly a soccer ball.” He pulls a face of mock disgust.

Walt giggles and climbs over Nico to sit in Jason’s lap. “Daddy, can we pleeease go play now?” He lightly presses the ball to the blond’s forehead. Jason sighs.

“Cap, its, like-” He checks the clock. “6 in the morning. Daddy is still really sleepy.” Walt doesn’t complain, but a disappointed look crosses over his dark features.

“I can take him to the park,” Piper offers. The young boy looks at Jason with an eager expression. Jason flashes Piper an “ _are you sure about this?”_ look and Piper smiles back.

“Alright,” Jason relents. Walt gets up excitedly, rushing to pull Piper to her feet.

“And put on a coat!” Jason adds. “It’s freezing outside.”

“Wait!” Walt cries just as he’s about to open the door.

“I forgot your present!”

The three adults exchange a look as Walt runs to his room. He returns with a package crudely wrapped with red and green patterned paper. He hands it to Nico and looks at the two men expectantly.

The gift is relatively square-shaped and “to Dabby and nicO from WaLT” is written directly onto the paper with a blue marker.

Nico and Jason both tear open the wrapping paper to reveal a messy crayon drawing in a black frame. The drawing is titled “MY FAMLY” and consists of three humanoid figures, all holding hands.

With a start, Nico realizes that the figure on the left is supposed to be him. Then the figure on the right, he assumes is Jason, with Walt is in the middle. Behind them there’s a few clouds and the sun is drawn in the corner of the paper.

“Did you draw this?” Jason asks, looking up from the framed picture.

Walt nods. “In art, she told us to draw our family. There’s Daddy-” he pointed to crayon-Jason who happened to be three times larger than crayon-Nico and four times larger than Walt himself, “-Me-” pointing to the small figure in the middle, “-and that’s you.” This last part is directed at Nico.

“Wow, Walt, this- this is amazing, thank you.” Nico struggles with the words as he admires the gift. His fingers trail over his and Walt’s clasped hands.

“You did such a good job!” Jason exclaims, gently taking the frame from Nico. “Mind if we hang it up, Cap?” Walt nods excitedly and Jason places the picture on the mantel above the electric fireplace. “This’ll have to do until we can put it on the wall.”

“Looks perfect!” Piper says from the doorway. Walt grins and gives Nico and Jason a hug.

“We gotta go play now, Daddy, love you!” Walt pushes Piper out the door, both of them sporting boots and large coats over their pajamas. Without the two, the apartment falls silent. Jason and Nico sat on the couch, both incredibly tired from only sleeping for 5 hours.

“I don’t want to get up,” Nico announces, leaning to rest his head on Jason’s shoulder.

“Same,” Jason agrees, adjusting slightly to make the position more comfortable for the both of them. “TV?” He suggests.

Nico nods.

They make it through half of “Home Alone” before falling asleep on each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo yo yo wassup my homies. sorry i'm lame okay I'll just go now (ily pls review)


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Years Eve party at Piper's apartment (alcohol/drunkeness trigger warning)

"Who’s that?"

The question comes before Jason and Nico can even fully get through the door. The source of the question, Nico finds, is a beautiful Asian girl with raised eyebrows and full lips poised in a smirk. She’s staring at Jason like he’s the finest steak on the menu, and he’s more than a little uncomfortable.

Piper ignores the girl for now and lets’ the two men in, closing the door behind them.

"Drew," Piper addresses the girl on the couch, who is still eyeing up Jason. "This is Jason and Nico. Guys, this is my step sister, Drew."

Drew stands up to shake both of their hands with a firm handshake. Nico wipes his palm on his dark jeans.

Nico’s sister, Hazel and her fiancé, Frank, join them in the living room. Hazel immediately goes in for a hug and Nico’s arms are filled with tiny female with a mop of cinnamon colored hair.

"You look so good!" Hazel exclaims after she and Nico separate. Nico blushes a bit that. He’s wearing his old skinny jeans and a sweater he got while out with Jason.

The sweater is a sky blue color with gray and white clouds rolling over it. Nico was pretty sure it was meant for girls and had tried it on as a joke, but Jason had had such a good reaction that Nico decided it could be a good investment.

"Thanks," Nico says. Hazel presses a quick peck to Jason cheek and they all move the party into the much less crowded living area. Seated on a couch in front of the tv is Matt, Piper’s fairly new boyfriend (whom Nico’s never seen), and Leo (whom Nico’s met a few times), who are currently involved in what seems to be an incredibly intense game of Madden NFL 25.

From the wide grin on Leo’s face and the furious way Matt is jabbing the controls, Nico assumes that the former is currently in the lead. With a sound of exasperation, Piper falls onto the couch, next to Matt, and takes the controller.

With a few expert switches on the toggle switch and numerous presses to seemingly random buttons, Leo groans loudly and Piper falls back into the couch triumphantly. Apparently Piper won. Nico’s not sure, he wasn’t really paying attention. His focus was geared more toward the bored looking Drew, who was currently scrolling through her twitter feed.

Nico takes a seat next to Jason on the large recliner, perched on the arm, as all the other seats are taken. Matt goes to get some drinks, so Frank takes his place on the couch to challenge Leo.

Walt was at home with a babysitter for the first time in over a year and Nico sincerely hoped the boy was okay. The sitter seemed nice enough, a young blonde girl named Lacey, who had six younger brothers growing up and now lived alone in the apartment to the left of Jason’s, enrolled in some sort of film college. She was going to be staying overnight, because neither Jason nor Nico would be sober enough to make the drive home later.

It’s weird to be with Jason and his friends without the attachment of Walt at his side. Usually Nico comes along under the guise of watching the young boy, but tonight Piper had invited him as a guest and he wasn’t really sure what to do with himself.

~~~~~~~~

Over the course of the night, Nico finds himself sinking more and more into Jason from his place on the arm of the chair.

It’s eleven when Piper announces (quite under the influence) that anybody attending the New Years party must have a New Years kiss at midnight. She immediately presses her lips to Matt’s with a smile.

"It’s not Midnight yet," Hazel reminds her, playing with Frank’s hair absent-mindedly. Piper laughs, raising her glass.

"Well, it will be," she hiccups. "So you better find someone." Another sip of wine passes her lips and she reaches up to kiss Matt again.

Jason’s hand, which had been lying on Nico’s left knee for the past ten minutes, gently tightens it’s grip in a reassuring squeeze. Nico wonders if Piper is actually drunk enough to enforce this new rule.

Drew sneers from the couch. Nico tries to remember if he’s seen her have anything to drink while they’ve been here, but can’t recall any. Honestly, Nico isn’t even sure why she’s here. She’s been sitting alone on the smaller couch towards the front of the apartment, ignoring everyone in the room.

Nico may or may not be accidentally staring at her when they make eye contact. He attempts to break the gaze in the hopes of hiding the fact that he’d been staring, but Drew stands and makes her way to where the others are all sitting.

"Nathan? Can I talk to you please?" Drew’s question is full of commandment. Nico is almost afraid of what she might do if he disobeys her order and gets up without correcting her.

Thankfully, the others in the room have no problem correcting her and a chorus of “his name is Nico” is directed at the gorgeous yet terrifying girl. Drew ignores them and leads Nico to what he assumes is Pipers room.

"So what’s the deal with you and Jason?" She inquires immediately after Nico closes the door behind him.

"…what?"

Drew gives an exasperated and exaggerated sigh. “You and Jason? Are you guys a thing or?”

"What? No! I’m a nanny, I watch his kid that’s all," Nico rushes. Drew gives him a disbelieving look.

"He likes you," she states, as if it’s obvious. Nico doesn’t say anything.

"And  _you_ like  _him_ ,” she continues. ‘ _Where is this going?_ ' Nico thinks. “So if you haven't told him yet, you need to. Tonight.”

Nico’s throat is really dry when he swallows the lump in his throat. “Why?”

"Because if you don’t kiss him, I will." She shrugs as if it’s as simple as that.  _Is it?_

~~~~~~~~~

 _60 seconds till midnight_. 60 seconds until the New Year. 60 seconds until Nico kisses Jason for the first time.

Everyone in the room has a partner. Leo and Drew refused to be put together, resulting in Leo skyping his girlfriend Calypso, who lives on some island in the Pacific, and Drew finding a random guy in the hallway who agreed to join the party.

_30 seconds._

Hazel rests her head into the crook of Franks neck. Leo and Calypso are laughing over some joke from a few minutes ago. Nico’s heart rate is picking up.

_10 seconds._

Nico scoots even closer to Jason (if that’s possible). Oh god, is this really happening.

_5 seconds._

All eyes are on the TV and the people on the screen chant the countdown to the new year.

_4._

_3._

_2._

_1._

Nico presses his lips to Jason’s harshly. Jason returns the kiss, and for a moment, Nico forgets the other people in the room. Jason’s large hands place themselves firmly on his hips and Nico’s hands wind themselves in Jason’s hair. He tugs slightly and Jason’s mouth opens to let him in.

When they break apart for air it’s 12:02am and the people on TV are still cheering. The people in the living room, however, are staring at the two  in surprise. All except for Drew and Hallway Boy who were still making out enthusiastically.

Nico takes this moment to remember that he still hasn’t come out to his sister, or anyone for that matter. Shit. He meets eyes with Jason, who looks even more shocked than the others and wishes the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

A ringing in his ears begins to accompany the relentless cheering and his breathing is starting to become shallow. For a second, Nico feels like he might barf, and if he doesn’t get out of the apartment right now, he might make this night even worse.

So he leaves.

Off Jason’s lap, across the room, out the door. When the door closes behind him, Drew pushes away from the Hallway Boy. She looks at Jason who’s still sitting on the chair, looking confused more than anything.

"What the _hell_ did you  _do_  to him?”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Getting some fresh air improves Nico’s breathing and the ringing stops as soon as he has time to think. The streets below him are filled with police sirens and crowds out to enjoy the festivities. He allows himself to sit and lean back onto the wall.

He’s fine now and wishes he hadn’t made such a big deal by storming out like that. He probably only made things worse. He wonders if Jason hates him.

He doesn’t think so, but he makes a mental note to work on his résumé when he manages to get home.

~~~~~~~~

Nico is debating whether or not he should leave when Jason finds him.

"Hi," Jason says.

Nico pats the ground next to him and Jason sits.

"Sorry," Jason apologizes, grabbing his ankle on the foot that rested on top of his left leg.

"What are you apologizing for?" Nico asks, genuinely confused. "You have done anything wrong."

Jason’s brow wrinkles. “Then why’d you leave?”

Nico shrugs. “I messed up. Sorry. It’s cool if you don’t want me over anymore.”

Jason looks at Nico with a baffled expression. “What are you talking about? Nico, you- I didn’t- why do you think you messed up?”

"I don’t know," Nico replies. "I didn’t mean to make things weird, I know I’m you’re nanny and we shouldn’t be in a relationship."

Jason takes his hand and squeezes it twice. “If that’s how you feel, then okay. But I just want you to know, if you think that I think we shouldn’t be in a relationship for something as trivial as that, than you are  _incredibly_  wrong.”

Nico falls into Jason’s shoulder and remembers how drunk they both are when he miscalculates and almost falls off onto the ground. A moment of silence passes.

"Really?" Nico asks.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"If you want… I guess we can try?" Nico suggests, lacing his fingers through Jason’s.

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Okay."_

_"Okay."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they kissed. *lights sparkler* *screams* *sets self on fire* *sets YOU on fire* yeah so there;s gonna be an epilogue and then we'll be all done how excieting. (review for hugs and all of my love)


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> epilogue <3

"Dad, I can’t find my cleats!" **  
**

Jason comes out from under the crib, hitting his head on the hardwood in the process. In his hand he holds a pacifier and a random sock that had attached itself to his finger.

"Didn’t I tell you to put them in the closet after your last game?" Jason asks, rubbing the throbbing knot on the back of his head.

Walt gives him a look of exasperation. “Well I  _did,_  but now I can’t find them,” he says with an attitude only a twelve year old can manage.

"Yeah, doubt that," Jason mutters, using the side of the crib to help himself up off the floor. Walt had the bad habit of leaving his things lying around and losing them (just like his father). His ears are still ringing from the collision, but the pain is subsiding. "Where’s your father? He was looking for this." Jason held up the pacifier.

Walt shrugs. He runs to his room to continue to look for his shoes and Jason follows. They’ve almost resorted to dumping out Walt’s dirty laundry basket when Nico strolls in. The cleats dangling from his fingers by the strings.

"Looking for these?" Nico smirks. He has the cleats in one hand and is using his other arm to balance their young daughter on his hip.

"Trade you," he says, nodding to the pacifier that had been cast onto Walt’s bed.

"Thanks Papa, you’re the best!" Walt exclaims, throwing his arms around Nico’s neck and taking the cleats.

Nico chuckles and gives Jason a peck on the cheek. “You guys need to be leaving soon. Don’t want to be late! Also, don’t forget to bring your white jersey as a backup in case they mixed up the schedule again.”

"You’re coming too, right Papa?" Walt asks from the ground, lacing up his shoes.

"Of course, I’m just going to be a bit late. I’m going to drop Charlotte off at Piper’s, so that you, Dad, and I can go out for ice cream after you win."

Nico directs his attention to Jason.

"You going to be all right until I get there?" He asks in a low voice.

"I’ll be fine," Jason laughs. He leans down to peck Nico on the mouth. Before he can pull away, Nico wraps his free hand around Jason’s neck, pulling him closer.

"I love you," he whispers.

"Love you more," Jason says.

They kiss again. Walt groans from the ground.

"You guys are disgusting," he states, wrinkling his nose.

"Disgustingly _in love_ ,” Jason corrects, taking Charlotte from Nico’s grasp. He blows a raspberry into her tummy, causing the toddler to laugh.

After a goodbye kiss, he returns her to Nico, who smiles at him softly.

"You need to go if you don’t want to be late," Nico reminds them. Walt runs to the door and Jason follows him, picking up the keys on the counter on the way out.

"Walt, you forgot your coat!" Nico shouts after them. The twelve year old runs back to grab the coat from Nico’s hand.

"Thanks Papa." Walt says running back out. "Love you!" He adds, calling over his shoulder.

The phone rings right as the door slams behind them.

“Hello?” Nico answers.

“Nico?”

“Oh hey, Piper!” Nico places Charlotte in the high chair so he can load the dishwasher. He cringes as he accidentally gets syrup on his thumb. “Can you still watch Charlotte?” he asks, washing his hands, and giving said toddler a few crackers to munch on.

“Of course!” Piper replies. Nico pours out the leftover milk from Walt’s cup in disgust. Doing the dishes is his least favorite chore.

“I can’t wait to see her.”

The two year old shrieks excitedly until Nico replenishes her hoard of crackers.

“I’m sure she’ll be very happy to see you too,” Nico laughs. “Just to warn you: she’s been getting into _everything_  lately.”

Piper chuckles on the other end. “I feel like she’s been around forever. Gosh, how long has it been?”

“It’ll be two years this coming November.”

The adoption had been relatively easy compared to the difficulty most same-sex couples had to deal with when looking to adopt. He and Jason had only been wait-listed for six months before they received the call, notifying them of the green eyed bundle of joy ready to greet them.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Piper chirped. “I have some exciting news myself!”

“Yeah?” Nico asked curiously.

“I’m pregnant! Well, at least we think so. You aren’t really supposed to tell anyone during the first trimester because there could be complications, but I wanted you to be the first to know, other than Matthew, of course.”

“Oh my god, Piper! That’s amazing!” Nico exclaimed, causing Charlotte to start a bit in her seat.

“Yeah, I’m kind of nervous to tell anyone since we aren’t married yet. His family is a bit…  _touchy_  about that.”

Nico snorts. “No worries here, Jason and I were fucking long before we got married.”

He admires the picture sitting on the window sill. It was taken on their wedding day, but it wasn’t one of the professionally photographed ones they had posed for. This one was a candid photo taken by Hazel during Jason and Nico’s first dance together as a married couple, about 4 years ago. If he looked closely, he could see three fingers of Walt’s left hand on the side of the picture.

A few seconds after that picture had been taken, Walt had cut in between the two men, demanding to be included. Jason picked him up to hold him between Nico and himself as they swayed back and forth.

“ _Welcome to our family,_ ” Jason had joked, though they both knew Nico had been an important part of their family long before they said their vows.

 _“I love you,_ ” Nico had replied, running his thumb over the ring gracing Jason’s finger.

Nico smiles at the memory.

“Hey I have to go,” Piper says, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Matt needs help Charlotte-proofing the house. Wish Walt luck at his game for me, will you?”

“Will do.” Nico agrees.

He cleans Charlotte up quickly, then double checks that he has everything before leaving, to join the rest of his family. Nico smiles again. _Family._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> annnnnnnnnnnnnd it's done:3 thanks for sticking around to the end you're a doll. so yeah that;s it for this fic? excitement. so yeah if you want to follow my tumblr i'm artem-ace.tumblr.com okay so a review would be great ily bye

**Author's Note:**

> First chaptered fic:3 I hope you guys like it? my writing style changes with every chapter oopsxD I'm in the process of moving all of my fics from tumblr to Ao3 so if you'd like to follow me on tumblr my main blog (where fics/ updates are posted) is artem-ace.tumblr.com and my pjo blog is demi-will-solace.tumblr.com reviews are appreciated :3


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